Switzerland’s foreign ministry has confirmed that a woman diagnosed with Ebola in Nigeria is the wife of a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja, as health authorities continue investigations into how she contracted the virus.
The 42-year-old Ugandan-born woman tested positive on October 20, marking Nigeria’s first confirmed Ebola case in more than a decade. She lives in the Nigerian capital and had recently travelled to Uganda with her husband.
According to the Swiss foreign ministry, the diplomat is currently in isolation but has not developed symptoms. The ministry also confirmed that all 25 employees at the Swiss embassy in Nigeria, comprising eight Swiss nationals and 17 local staff, were in good health and did not need to isolate.
The decision was taken in consultation with Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO). The embassy remains open and operational with health and safety measures in place.
The woman reportedly spent about a week receiving care at a private clinic in Abuja after developing symptoms. Swiss authorities believe she may have contracted the virus during her visit to Uganda, although the exact source of infection remains unknown.
Switzerland has also disputed earlier accounts suggesting that the woman travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a major Ebola outbreak has caused thousands of deaths. The WHO and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have said they have no verified information confirming that she visited the country.
Investigators are examining whether her case could be connected to an Ebola patient who travelled through Uganda before dying in Kenya. However, health officials have not established a direct link between the two cases.
Nigerian authorities are continuing contact tracing and laboratory investigations to determine the origin of the infection and assess the risk of further transmission.
